Chicken Pot Pie, Salad with Simple Vinaigrette, and Coconut Cake

Who doesn't love chicken pot pie?  It's comfort food at its best so I was anxious to try the Ad Hoc version.  "Chicken Pie" is something made very frequently at my home as it is my husband's favorite meal.  I must clarify though that "Chicken Pie" includes no vegetables and is only made with chicken, cream of chicken soup, and a biscuit like topping.  I personally like the addition of vegetables which we will call "chicken pot pie."  In the past, when I have made "chicken pot pie", it's always the same response..."it's good but it isn't chicken pie."  Well, this time was no different.
I served the chicken pot pie with a side salad made with the simple vinaigrette dressing from the book.

I started the process by making my own pie crust.  I am ashamed to admit that I have never made a pie crust from scratch.  I always go for convenience and the frozen ones are so easy.  I never realized how easy (and tasty) it is to make my own!  I started by blending flour, salt, butter, and a little water.  After kneading the dough, it goes into the fridge for at least 1 hour.  All I had to afterwards was roll the dough out.  Simple, simple, simple!

Next I cooked potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions in boiling water until just tender.    

I then blanched chopped celery until crisp tender and added it to the other vegetables. 

The next step was a homemade bechamel sauce made with butter and flour.  I could tell already that this was going to beat the can of cream of chicken soup!

The first pie crust is the bottom of the dish, the vegetables were combined with cooked chicken, and the bechamel was poured over the top. 

I topped with the second pie crust and baked in the oven until golden brown.  The salad was tossed with the simple vinaigrette which is just dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and oil.

The finished plate...

On to dessert...I started the coconut cake by simmering coconut milk over the stove.  The coconut milk is then combined with cake flour, egg whites, and sugar to make two layer cakes.  The cakes turned out to be really pretty...and you all know my baking skills.

 

The icing for the cake was actually that great meringue recipe that I made in the one of the first recipes.  If you remember, you make a simple syrup that is drizzled into the egg whites and it is delicious!  I iced the two cakes with the meringue and then sprinkled the finished cake with the toasted coconut.

The chicken pot pie was really good.  The bechamel was out of sight and actually lightened up the dish a bit to me.  The homemade pie crust was so flaky and perfect.  I may not waste any more money on the frozen ones!  I also enjoyed the additions of the pearl onions to the dish.  The vinaigrette with the salad was the perfect light side dish.  The cake was super most thanks to all of the egg whites and the icing wasn't too sweet like a lot of coconut cakes.  Everything turned out really well but I still heard the "It's good but IT AIN'T CHICKEN PIE!"